Dry cleaning unit



1967 A. L. MI BRILLET 3,338,072

DRY CLEANlNG UNIT Filed June 15, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1967 A. M3 BRILLET 3,338,072

DRY CLEANING UNIT Filed June 15, 1966 2 Sheevts-She at 2 to be treated.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,338,072 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 21, 4 12 Claims. (Cl. 68-18) The present invention relates to a dry cleaning unit having a rotary drum and more particularly to such a unit including a nebulizing device for distributing an active product on a charge of articles to be treated in the unit, said active product being if desired put into solution or suspension in a solvent. The active products employed are for example water-proofing products, finishing products, dressing products, etc.

In prior conventional dry cleaning units, the adjuvants, such as the water-proofing, rain proofing, finishing and other products were employed in a bath, which had, among others, the following drawbacks:

(1) The machine had to be provided with a special tank or reservoir for the adjuvant product associated with a corresponding amount of solvent with the necessary valves and conduits.

(2) This manner of operating resulted in a high consumption of adjuvant products which was due in particular to the frequent distillation of the bath.

(3) In this manner of operating, difiiculties were experienced in practice and the results were very uneven. Indeed, the impregnation of the bath requires a draining or wringing before the drying and it was in addition necessary to gauge the draining in order to leave in the impregnated articles the appropriate amount of adjuvant product and its solvent support. In the course of the drying, solely the solvent is evaporated. If the draining is insuflicient, an excessive amount of adjuvant product remains (thus creating a stiffness in the articles) and if the draining is excessive, the amount of adjuvant is excessively small.

To remedy such drawbacks, it has been proposed to employ a nebulizing device located inside the unit for depositing over the articles to be treated a metered charge of adjuvants. Such a unit is described in particular in French Patent No. 1,417,354 filed July 17, 1964. How ever in this unit, the jet or stream of product leaving the cloud-forming device strikes directly on the articles to,

be treated in the drum of the unit and this has the following drawbacks:

(a) A bad distribution of the product on the articles (b) The appearance of rings or circles of sprayed product on the articles.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of prior units.

The invention provides a dry cleaning unit comprising a nebulizing device for depositing an active product over a charge of articles to be treated in the drum of the treating machine, said nebulizing device comprising a spray head located in the front wall ofvsaid machine at one end of the drum, in such manner that the axis of the spray jet encounters said drum at a point located roughly on the intersection of the cylindrical part of the wall of said drum with the transverse wall of the latter, said head being oriented in such manner that the path of the spray jet is not intersected by the articles to be treated in the course of rotation of the drum.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a feed device for the spray head of a dry cleaning unit;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic axial sectional view in a vertical plane of the arrangement of the spray head in the front part of the dry cleaning unit, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

The machine shown in FIG. 1 comprises a clean solvent tank 1 which is connected to a solvent supply pipe 2 and an overflow pipe 3. This tank 1 is connected by way of taps 4 and 5 to two metering pots 6 and 7 having transparent walls and upper detachable and fluidtight caps or plugs 8 and 9, the tank creating a pressure head in the pots 6 and 7. Heating devices, such as electric resistances R and R are located in the pots 6 and 7 respectively. Located respectively under the pots 6 and 7 are taps 10 and 11 under which are disposed filters 12 and 13, the latter being connected in parallel to a discharge pipe 14 connected to a spray head 15 of the unit (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

A source 16 of compressed air supplies air by way of a valve 17 to a conduit in which are inserted a supply pressure gauge 18, a primary pressure reducing valve 19 and a secondary pressure-reducing valve 20. Connected between said two pressure-reducing valves is a conduit 21 which is provided with a valve 22 and supplies by way of a conduit 23 the spray head 15. Connected on the downstream side of the secondary pressurereducing valve 20 are two branch conduits provided with taps 24 and 25 to which are connected plunger tubes 26 and 27 which open into the pots 6 and 7 in a tangential direction through narrow nozzles at the base of these pots.

A treating drum of a dry cleaning unit has been shown diagrammatically in FIGS.,2 and 3. This horizontal drum 28 is of conventional type and surrounded by a casing 29. It is driven in rotation by a motor 30 which is located on the axis of the drum and rotates the latter in the direction of arrow 1 (FIG. 3).

Located at the end of the machine opposed to the motor 30 is a fluidtight inspection door 31 which is preferably transparent and permits charging or discharging the drum and inspecting the interior of the latter. The door or porthole cover 31 is located in front of a circular opening 32 formed in the front wall of the drum. Pick-up bars 33 are disposed parallel to the axis of the drum inside the cylindrical'wall or sleeve 28a of the latter.

The spray head 15 can be of any suitable conventional type and is fixed to the door 31 in the upper left quarter of the door, as viewed in FIG. 3, and is oriented in such manner that the axis XX of the :spray jet J passes roughly through the intersection of the sleeve 28a and the bottom or end wall 28b of the drum, as can be clearly seen in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the spray head 15 is oriented in such manner that the jet is moreover angularly offset in the direction of rotation of the drum so that the articles to be cleaned (for example clot-hing) do not pass therethrough in the course of rotation, these articles B approximately occupying in the drum the right region as viewed in FIG. 3. In the course of rotation of the drum the articles to be treated rise along the wall until they reach a position in the neighborhood of a vertical position andthercafter fall back, leaving free the upper quarter of the drum located beyond the vertical in the direction of rotation. It will he therefore understood that if the drum rotated for example iu'the clockwise direction (namely in the direction opposed to that indicated by the arrow f) the spray head 15 should no longer be located in the upper left quarter of the door (FIG. 3) but in the upper right quarter, that is, in the upper quarter of the following manner:

When it concerns for example the treatment of an article with adjuvants, a metered amount of solvent is taken from the tank 1 through the tap 4 for example and supplied to the pot 6. After having removed the cap 8, the metered charge of adjuvant is introduced into this solvent. The cap 8 is replaced and by opening the tap 24 the solvent and the adjuvant can be mixed so as to facilitate putting the solvent and adjuvant into solution or suspension. This tap 24 is left open so as to aid the discharge of the charge as soon as the tap 10 is opened.

Following on these preliminary operations, the tap 22 can be opened and the spray head supplies in the drum of the unit a cloud of active product supported by the solvent. The pressure in the conduit 21 is higher than that prevailing in the pots.

The pressure of spraying must be sufficient to ensure that the jet reaches the bottom or end wall of the drum. It is on the order of 2 kg./ sq. cm. on average. The spray jet strikes the wall of the drum and is returned in the direction of the interior, as indicated by the arrows F ('FIG. 3).

The machine according to the invention has the following advantages:

(1) The solvent charged with adjuvants is prepared in the pots with an exact metering or gauging thereof and this charge of solvent is completely sprayed in the articles.

(2) The losses are nil since the charge solvent is not distilled but recovered. The amount of adjuvants remains low since it is very well treated.

(3) The unit is easy to use and the distribution over the articles is very even. Indeed, as the impregnation is effected normally after draining, the articles are still moist with solvent and this aids the regularity of the deposit. It is thereafter sufiicient to effect the drying. The total amount of sprayed adjuvants always remains on the articles.

It can even be contemplated to impregnate the articles in the dry state "by introducing said articles into said machine and subjecting them thereafter to the desired nebulization. [[n such a case a slightly greater amount of solvent and adjuvants can be introduced if need be.

The spray head, which is of course provided with pivotal or flexible connections, permits opening and closing the door 31 without having to dismount the spray head. The jet] of sprayed product does not strike the treated articles directly and thus avoids any localized succession deposits of the adjuvants in the course of movement of the articles. Indeed, as mentioned hereinbefore, the treated articles driven along by the rotation of the drum are lifted up to the vicinity of the top of the sleeve 28a before falling back substantially vertically. Now, the charged and sprayed solvent jet passes into a zone of the drum located beyond the point at which the treated articles start to fall. In this Way, without having touched these articles, the sprayed products in the form of a cloud strike the walls of the drum and are thrown back towards the interior in the form of a nebulization mixed with the atmosphere of the drum in movement in which said articles circulate. After'spraying, when a pot is empty, the valves and taps are closed and the conventional drying of the articles can be effected in the machine or other impregnation or depositing operations effected if necessary before the drying.

Said adjuvants can be of the most varied kind. There can be used, in addition to the active products already mentioned, products treating leathers and in particular buckskins or like materials for nourishing, reviving or recolouring them. Dyeing operations can also be effected which are at the present time carried out in aqueous baths. The adjuvants can also be products for reinforcing the properties of the textiles, anti-septics, anti-cryptogramic, anti-moth or other products.

A unit in which the spray head is secured to the door or port-door closing the machine has been illustrated and described. However without departing from the scope of the invention, the spray head could also be secured to a front wall of the machine in some other suitable position, on condition that the orientation on the spray head fulfills the aforementioned conditions.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described, many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dry cleaning unit comprising a treating machine having a case including a front wall, a rotary drum having an opening at one end adjacent said front wall of said case, a transverse end wall at the other end of the drum and a cylindrical wall connected to said end wall, said drum being mounted to rotate inside said case, a nebulizing device for distributing an active product on chargeof articles to be treated disposed inside said drum through said opening, said nebulizing device comprising a spray head mounted on said front wall of said case at said open end of said drum, the spray head being so disposed that the axis of the spray jet issuing therefrom encounters said drum at a point located roughly at the intersection of said cylindrical wall and said .transverse end wall of said drum, said spray head being oriented in such manner that said articles to be treated do not pass through the path of said spray jet in the course of rotation of said drum.

2. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said case has an opening adjacent said opening of said drum and a door for closing said case opening, said spray head being mounted on said door.

3. A unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spray head is mounted on the door. in such position as to face the upper quarter of said drum corresponding to the portion of said cylindrical wall which moves downwardly as said drum rotates.

4. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head is so oriented, that the axis of the spray jet is contained in a plane which intersects the axis of rotation of said drum and is inclined at about 45 to a vertical plane in the direction of rotation of said drum.

5. A dry cleaning unit comprising a treating machine having a case including a front wall, a rotary drum having an opening at one end adjacent said front wall of said case, a transverse end wall at the other end of the drum and a cylindrical wall connected to said end wall, said drum being mounted to rotate inside said case, a nebulizing device for distributing an active product on charge of articles to be treated disposed inside said drum through said opening, said nebulizing device comprising a spray head mounted on said front wall of said case at said open end of said drum, the spray head being so disposed that the axis of the spray jet issuing therefrom encounters said drum at a point located roughly at the intersection of said cylindrical wall and said transverse end wall of said drum, said spray head being oriented in such manner that said articles to be treated do not pass through the path of said spray jet in the course of rotation of said drum, a solvent tank, pots for metering the solvent and adjuvant products, conduits connecting said tank to said pots and conduits connecting said pots to said spray head, said tank being so positioned relative to said pots as to create a pressure head of said solvent in said pots.

6. A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said pots comprise openings for introducing said adjuvant products and detachable caps for sealing by closing said pot openings.

7. A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said pots have transparent walls.

8. A unit as claimed in claim 5, further comprising heating means for heating the interior of said pots.

9. A unit as claimed in claim 5, further comprising nozzles disposed inside said pots in the lower part thereof, a source of compressed air, and supply units putting said source in communication with said nozzles for facilitating the mixing of said solvent and said adjuvant products and delivering said mixture to said spray head.

10. A unit as claimed in claim 9, comprising a single source of compressed air for said pots and said spray head, supply conduits putting said source in communication with said spray head and said pots, and two pressure 11. A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said conduits connecting said pots to said spray head comprise taps and filters.

12. A unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the supply pipe connecting said spray head to said source is connected on the :down stream side of the first pressure reducing stage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,200,144 5/1940 Zimarik 68-58 2,812,593 11/ 1957 Olthuis 68-20 X 2,846,776 8/ 1958 Clark 6858 X 3,103,450 9/1963 Janson 118-48 3,270,529 9/1966 Engel 68-58 X FOREIGN PATENTS 460,711 2/ 1937 Great Britain.

reducing stages connected in series in said supply conduits. 20 WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DRY CLEANING UNIT COMPRISING A TREATING MACHINE HAVING A CASE INCLUDING A FRONT WALL, A ROTARY DRUM HAVING AN OPENING AT ONE END ADJACENT SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID CASE, A TRANSVERSE END WALL AT THE OTHER END OF THE DRUM AND A CYLINDRICAL WALL CONNECTED TO SAID END WALL, SAID DRUM BEING MOUNTED TO ROTATE INSIDE AND CASE, A NEUBLIZING DEVICE FOR DISTRIBUTING AN ACTIVE PRODUCT ON CHARGE OF ARTICLES TO BE TREATED DISPOSED INSIDE SAID DRUM THROUGH SAID OPENING, SAID NEBULIZING DEVICE COMPRISING A SPRAY HEAD MOUNTED ON SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID CASE AT SAID OPEN END OF SAID DRUM, THE SPRAY HEAD BEING SO DISPOSED THAT THE AXIS OF THE SPRAY JET ISSUING THEREFROM ENCOUNTERS SAID DRUM AT A POINT LOCATED ROUGHLY AT THE INTERSECTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL AND SAID TRANSVERSE END WALL OF SAID DRUM, SAID SPRAY HEAD BEING ORIENTED IN SUCH MANNER THAT SAID ARTICLES TO BE TREATED DO NOT PASS THROUGH THE PATH OF SAID SPRAY JET IN THE COURSE OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM. 